There is a handful of phenomenal, inspiring, and beloved heroines in the Star Wars franchise, whether it be the original badass Leia, fan-favorite Ahsoka, new generation Rey, or underrated figures like Mon Mothma. One of these heroines, who has become far more loved since the prequels ended, is Padmé Amidala.
While she was immensely divisive in the prequels, a combination of a new generation of fans alongside The Clone Wars has given far more to the character. But, while Padmé is undoubtedly a strong hero, certain aspects of her seem to get increasingly worse over time, even if they eventually get resolved.
Falling In Love With Anakin
The across the stars romance of Pamdé and Anakin is the most important in all of Star Wars with pretty much no competition, even if there are those of better quality.
But, in saying that, Padmé's decade long falling in love with Anakin was extremely strange since they rarely saw each other, and Padmé knew the ethical implications of it all. While falling in love is something that cannot get stopped, it is something that, despite qualitatively aided by The Clone Wars, did not make sense, and led to a lot of trouble.
Then Marrying Him
That trouble got solidified when the forbidden romance between Anakin and Padmé came to a head with the two gettings secretly married on Naboo.
This marriage and romance are one of the most significant factors in the downfall of Anakin to the Dark Side. His obsession, jealousy, and paranoia pretty much all stemmed from his caring for Ahsoka, the failures of the Jedi Council, and his love for Padmé.
Her Relentlessness
Padmé is one of the strongest characters in Star Wars. Everything she deals with and goes through gets done with a strong head and a stronger heart. She is relentless.
However, that relentless nature from Padmé, where her emotions and genius take charge, and she jumps into situations and confrontations with no fear and no hesitation, often gets her in trouble and dangerous situations.
Her Stubbornness
Going hand-in-hand with that is Padmé's unbelievable stubbornness that exists throughout the whole prequel trilogy, and even more of it coming in The Clone Wars.
Whether she determines to go to Tatooine, or go to Geonosis, or take charge over Anakin and not listen, or her sheer bravery and inability to back down, which, again, leads her into trouble a lot. Granted, Padmé is excellent and always gets out of it.
Stopped Being Queen Of Naboo
As Queen of Naboo, Padmé was unbelievably popular with her people, and famously they wanted to amend the constitution of Naboo to have her serve another term.
Unfortunately, her term ran out. This was out of her control, but Padmé thrived as a Queen and cared for her people like no other, and in turn, they felt the same for her.
Became A Senator
Following her reign as Queen of Naboo, Padmé dived headfirst into becoming one of the best Senators with a seat on the Galactic Senate, representing her planet once again.
Unfortunately, not only did this move to the Senate throw her into the sight of Palpatine, for whom Padmé caused an insane amount of problems, but it only served to increase the threat to her life. It also played a role in complicating the nature of her and Anakin's relationship.
Refusal To Take On Other Voices & Opinions
Pamdé is incredibly headstrong and, as has gotten mentioned by way of her stubbornness and relentless nature, this led to issues. One of which is that Padmé refuses to listen to other people and their advice.
Whether it be not listening to the Council and other politicians in regards to her safety, or Anakin in regards to her protection, ultimately, Padmé is nearly always right, so in all honesty, it is right to doubt and go with her own heart.
Always Getting Caught In Awful Situations
Many characters in Star Wars have an uncanny ability to get themselves stuck in life-threatening situations continuously, Padmé is no different.
This is disregarding assassination attempts, and just focusing on danger-filled situations, Padmé did not need to be in such as when there is a hostage situation in The Clone Wars or when she travels to Mustafar and is Force choked by Anakin.
Loses The Will To Live
Padmé's death was one of mass divisiveness. Many fans either hate or simply cannot buy into the fact that Padmé died of what can get chalked up to sadness, while some others do appreciate how heartbreak came into play.
Nevertheless, there is no denying it was not an overly popular narrative choice. In terms of the actual in-universe meaning, Padmé's sadness literally led to her death, nothing worse than that.
Gets A Massive Target On Her Head
Undoubtedly though, the thing about Padmé that continues to get worse throughout the prequel era of Star Wars is that more and more people try and take her life.
This all stemmed from Palpatine, but it was not just him who wanted her dead, so too did the Trade Federation and Separatists, with attempts coming indirectly and directly from Dooku, Jango, Zam Wessell, droids, and more.